


A Reason to Stay

by yeojooyeo



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pre-Relationship, Sickfic, changki, dogs are the key to world peace, soft men being soft, still on indefinite hiatus, why does everything I write turn into a sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-15
Updated: 2019-01-15
Packaged: 2019-10-10 10:22:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17424074
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yeojooyeo/pseuds/yeojooyeo
Summary: It’s the little things in life that show you what living really means. Changkyun decides the reason for living is made of deep cocoa hair and eyes that burn like fire.





	A Reason to Stay

“So what you’re telling me is that were going to some cafe that you go to every week, not to play with the most important thing in the room, the dogs, and instead oogle on the cute worker? I wish I could be mad at you, but I honestly can’t wait to get in there.” Jooheon vented, scuffing his shoes in the pavement as they walked up the street. In the studio, these two were best friends, but more often than not, Jooheon got dragged into whatever dumb idea Changkyun got the inspiration for next. This one, topped his long list of things the kid based on sheer luck. The poor boy’s heart lead him blind most of the time.

 **** The air had gotten warmer as spring passed along, only needing to wear a light jacket, but in his effort to impress, Changkyun sported a black leather zip up. If he was jumping into this pit head first, he might as well look good. Pause, the pun was more based on saying the name than reading it, was a new cafe that opened in the area around eight months ago. The whole set up inside was warm and light, Changkyun originally going in now and then for the healing mental health, but then Kihyun started working there short after, and it’s become an unintentional ritual.

 **** “Get all your sarcasm out now, I don’t want Kihyun to think I have bad friends.” Changkyun said, opening the glass doors with a tight hand. Jooheon snorted to himself, rolling his eyes at the desperation.

 **** “Oh, Kihyun is it? The subject of your wild dreams has a name?”

 **** The smell of dogs is something you never get used to, and Changkyun would gladly wear it as cologne if he could. It was like a warm hug, the collective essence of peace. The cool air blasted their faces as they went inside, the barks and yips of a good twenty dogs echoing in the room. God he loved this place.

 **** “Oh, Changkyun, you’re here!”

 **** Kihyun was kneeling on the floor near the food bowls, smiling up at him. His hair was a soft chestnut brown, waving lightly at the top, his eyes reflecting their own warm hue.

 **** Yeah, he _r_ _eally_ loved this place.

 **** Changkyun knelt next to him to help clean up the kibble, Jooheon going into the play area in his peripheral vision to play with the big german shepherd. His heart jumped when their hands touched with no shame. “Yeah, Jooheon wanted to come see his favorite boy, so I thought i’d stop by.” For a weekday afternoon, it wasn’t as crowded as it usually was. Small mercies. “You’ve survived without me around?”

 **** Kihyun scoffed, wiping his hands on his apron. Light blue with white stripes, the overall theme of the cafe. “Cool it, kid. I’ve been doing just fine. Hoseok helps out more than you do. He’s like, the dog whisperer in this place.”

 **** True to his word, Changkyun looked around, and at the coffee bar, Hoseok was making a brew with one hand, and in the other, a small poodle was sleeping on his shoulder. You really envy what you don’t have.

 **** “You think if I beg hard enough, he’ll make me a free latte?”

 **** Kihyun shrugged, reaching up to fix a stray hair on Changkyun’s charcoal head. Inside it felt like a feathering beat.

 **** “You’re practically one of the dogs here. Hoseok would adopt you if you asked”, Kihyun stood up, stretching his legs and extended his hand, “Now, if you’re going to be here you’re going to help out, yeah?”

 **** Never saying no to Kihyun, even better spending time with him, Changkyun grabbed his hand and followed him to the back rooms. The tell tale whimpering pushed him up against the window of the door. Straining his eye to look in the corner, a pen was set up, a group of puppies huddling together as they cried. Act your age, Changkyun, you’re a twenty two year old man, you’re-

 **** He bounced on his heels, looking back at Kihyun, who had an exasperated half grin, hand on his own hip. “Are you trying to kill me? You never let anyone else back here. These are- they’re-.”

 **** Kihyun patted his shoulder and unlocked the door, making sure no dogs got out before they were both inside. Changkyun’s heart was being squeezed alive. He picked one of the dogs up softly, a grey female, and held her to his chest. She yawned into his thumb, giving it a lick.

 **** “I figured you’ve been helping me out here for a couple months now, you deserve a reward. Do you think Mohae needs a friend?”

 **** Mohae, the fictional, yet real living dog that Changkyun said he had to get close to Kihyun in the beginning, was a pet he said was his. Kihyun’s eyes had lit up at the news, the photo making him weak in the knees. The white samoyed was actually his friend Hyunwoo’s, but the man let Changkyun borrow the cloud ball, with his supervision of course. The first time they had all met, Kihyun planted face first into it’s fur and didn’t move for a good ten minutes. Changkyun was whipped ever since.

 **** True, he felt bad about the lie, but he had gotten such a good friendship with the older man because of it, he didn’t want to tell the real story yet.

 **** “Yeah, maybe one day. He’s still kind of rebellious, so I don’t know if bringing another dog in would be a good match. It’s hard to say no to this little face though.” He cooed, rubbing behind the puppy’s right ear.

 **** “It’s a shame, but I get it. I wouldn’t let one of my dogs in the world with an irresponsible owner who couldn’t even control their own dog.”

 **** “Are you calling me lazy? I thought we were friends. This is insulting.”

 **** Kihyun held up the paw of one of the four puppies he was cradling in his arms and hit Changkyun’s much larger arm with it. This was so wholesome it was going to be burned into his memory forever.

 **** “Stop complaining you big baby and help me feed these guys. Then after we’re walking everyone. Got it?”

 ****_Of course. Anything for you._ “Yeah, sounds fantastic, to be honest. I could be writing up forms right now, but here I am in a room full of animals crying for attention.” He knew that would jab at Kihyun’s ego if he got the joke, and it did, after a full minute of full face contusion. The slap hurt, but the pain ebbed away like a raindrop on water when Kihyun darkened his brows and pouted.

 **** “Shut up and get feeding. Oh, we’re getting dumplings after if you don’t mind. I’m out of food at my place and I don’t feel like cooking.”

 **** “Don’t let Joo hear that, he’d try to third wheel.”

 **** Kihyun lifted one of the dogs to his face, giving it an eskimo kiss. He spoke but without concern. “You coming or not?”

 **** Changkyun couldn’t help but smile like a goof, watching the dog in his arms drink from the bottle.

 **** “Sure, i’d love to.”

 **** They finish feeding the dogs, went for a walk around the neighborhood, eight dogs in each hand, and Changkyun dreamt of wet kisses with a full stomach and full heart.

****

 

The next time him and Kihyun met, the man was full to the brim with bags of dog food in the mart, face not even visible. If he was struggling, you wouldn’t know it. The only reason he knew it was Kihyun at all was from the high pitched groans coming from the plastic.

 **** For the time that they’ve known each other, Changkyun has noticed all of Kihyun’s tiny details. Whether it be the furrow in his forehead when he’s concentrating on something, the mole above his top lip or how he tries so hard to be strong, to the point he breaks down in the form of tears or extra aggravation. Changkyun’s noticed it all, drinking it in, and it’s times like these where he forces the weight on his shoulders, hating the fact that Kihyun takes this all on willingly.

****

Catching one of them before it hit the ground, Changkyun picked up that and a few more from the other’s arms, Kihyun’s face finally poking from a gap in the middle.

 **** “What are you doing? This is way too heavy for one person.”

 **** Kihyun winced, fixing the position of the bags in his arms, heaving them up. “I can handle myself. What are you doing here?”

 **** The younger rubbed the back of his neck, rustling the plastic bag on his wrist. “Was having art block writing lyrics so I thought i’d get some ramen and a drink; recharge.” Changkyun winced, in pain just looking at him, “I think i’m going to help you now, though. You can ask for help, you know. It won’t make you look weak.”

 **** Kihyun opened his mouth, trying to form words but settling on a stern look. “Listen, Changkyun, I don’t want to bother you, I can handle this. Go back to writing about repressed sexual health or something.”

 **** “Okay, I don’t know what you think I do in my free time but I don’t write serenades to my dick or something. I write classier songs, like _the man in the store has too much opinion for his size_. It’s cute, but I don’t think it would be a top charter.”

 **** Changkyun’s nerves shot up, realizing a few seconds too late that he just inadvertently called Kihyun cute. Yeah, he meant it, but he didn’t mean to say it out loud. Kihyun didn’t acknowledge it thankfully, his shoulders slumping, pushing some of the bags in his arms in Changkyun’s direction.

 **** “Okay, okay, you got me. Take these and bring them to the cafe, alright? I’m on break right now and as nice as the boss is, she doesn’t like when people mess around.”

 **** “Is that what we’re doing? Messing around?”

 **** Kihyun kicked back with his leg, missing by a mile, but he was satisfied. His red ears told Changkyun he had won. “Brake the joke train Changkyun, and get walking.”

 **** Changkyun grinned, catching up with Kihyun’s fast footsteps, falling in sync. As they waited in line to pay, Kihyun groaned, putting the bags on the floor to give himself a break. Those bags were some serious weight, even Changkyun had to admit. So out of the goodness of his heart and the lack of shame in his head, he started to massage the brunet’s shoulders. Kihyun leant his head back and muttered a soft _thank you_ , making Changkyun wish the line would never move. It did eventually, the pair borrowing a cart to carry it all in. The trek back to the cafe was filled with silence, but the occasional brush of their shoulders filled in all the gaps.

 

 

Hoseok was the one usually at the bar, making drinks an customer swoon for him with the blink of an eye, or a smile. Today, in contrast, it was Kihyun who was sitting at the counter, organizing the utensils and cleaning. Changkyun had just come from an all nighter recording session, body absolutely spent, but his legs dragged him to the local cafe, itching for something to take the edge off. He almost stumbled taking his shoes off, but the good thing about a dog cafe was that you had company anytime your butt hit the floor. Two caramel dachshunds waddled to his legs, waiting expectantly. Changkyun let loose a laugh, picking them both up and plopping into one of the various bean bags in the main room. The dogs licked his face and got some well deserved petting, but before he knew it, Changkyun was out like a light. It had to come sooner or later, being awake for more than twenty four hours did things to you; forced naps being one.

 **** He was being nudged awake hours later, the melting feeling in his body preventing him from moving. Kihyun was in front of him, under two crutches, with a steaming cup in his hand. Changkyun tried his best to get into a sitting position, his joints popping in protest.

 **** “How long was I down?” He asked, rubbing his eyes clear. Kihyun handed him the mug of coffee, placing his crutches on the floor and taking his time sitting on the carpet by his side. His face tensed in pain, a pillow being shoved under his casted foot.

 **** “It’s a half hour till closing, and you got here at noon, so a good chunk of time.” Changkyun made to complain, but Kihyun held his finger up to shush him. “Before you say it, it’s fine. Not even the chihuahua could get you to wake up so I let you sleep.”

 **** “Sorry Ki, I feel horrible. You had to do all the work by yourself, with an injury. When did this happen?”

 **** By the universe taking cruel pity or enabling his deepest pain, Kihyun leaned his head on Changkyun’s shoulder, getting tucked in. The cast on his foot looked like a boot, a hard plastic case holding it in. They hadn’t seen each other in almost two weeks, this had to happen recently. Guilt pricked on Changkyun’s conscience. Not that he had the ability to go back and save him, but if he had been here instead of producing his mixtape, he could have helped.

 **** “One of the big dogs bumped into the supply as I was stacking them up. Don’t sweat it, it’s two broken bones. It just hurts.”

 **** A warm body shifted under Changkyun’s dangling hand, his fingers scratching in reflex. The dog that had greeted him at the door humming in relief at the touch. The red and orange light from the window bled into the room, the hustle and bustle of downtown lowering in volume like a speaker. The customers had all left at this point, the only people left being them and Hoseok in the back, taking care of the day’s paperwork. He sipped idly at the drink Kihyun made him and it filled him up with instant comfort. Sure, he wasn’t the famed barista Hoseok is, but it was still a pretty good latte. The bitter but sweet flavor of the roasted beans rejuvenated his energy, making the future of a bus ride home much more manageable. They sat in silence, enjoying each other's presence, a knock on the wall getting their attention.

 **** “Hey Ki.”

 **** Hoseok had poked his head out of the corner, jacket on and bag over his shoulder. He dyed his hair a fresh blonde, Changkyun liked it. Light colors did suit him best, from the rainbow of options the man chose. He smiled, jingling the keys to the front door in his hands. “We can go now, if you’re ready.”

 **** Kihyun layed there for a minute with closed eyes, gathering the strength to get up, only making it to his knees before Changkyun grabbed his hand. Being this invested in a person and trying to not let it show did something to a person, at their core. Kihyun was headstrong, passionate, ideals that Changkyun had to drill in his own brain to fight the perpetual laziness in his habits. It was the type of person he admired, wishing he could live like that, even for a day. Going against the flow, steamrolling life head on. People like that got things done, and did whatever they can to achieve their goals. It looked like it came easy, but Changkyun saw the little things that proved Kihyun was like anyone else. He knew the man would limp all the way home, gritting in the pain because life didn’t wait for people who settled for the easy route.

 **** “I’ll call you a cab, okay? You need to rest.”

 **** Kihyun blinked at him, doing a double take between Changkyun and his broken foot, giving up with a smile. Their hands squeezed in their light grip. “Guess i’m convinced. Help me up, Romeo.”

 **** Changkyun held onto his hips with the lightest feather of a touch, picking Kihyun up by the side. The other shrugged his crutch back under his arms and limped to the back office, signaling Changkyun to follow. Everything was turned off and the lights on a low dim, casting a serene tension in the room. Call him an artistic sap, but rooms like these made Changkyun’s skin tingle with creativity. The sunlight shined like an ethereal halo on Kihyun’s hair as he turned around, bag in his hand.

 **** “You ready to go?”

 **** There are moments in life that stick with you, taking your breath away. Moments that stand out from the others, a particular scent or conversation that pierces through the scene like a bullet. He can’t remember when those moments started to catalog themselves in his brain, but looking at Kihyun, sharp eyes and full pink lips standing, existing in front of him, while the sky paints around him like oil on a canvas, Changkyun decides that the meaning of life looks like this. Life, who waits for no one, is waiting for him in this moment. So, like any person presented with a lifelong opportunity, a chance to challenge destiny in the flesh, he takes the other’s soft, silky skin, takes those lips that hold the answers to the universe, and presses them on his own. Emotion can take you over, writing it’s own story, and he isn’t sure he wants to know what happened in the next chapter. Luckily, as this book is open ended, Kihyun breathes out his nose, eyelashes fluttering, and leans back. There are hands on his cheeks, hands that are now shaking, worried about the other character in this story, but he holds them in his own with a ghost of a smile.

 **** They leave the cafe with the paint brush strokes of the spring sunset and heartbeats narrating the afternoon like a soundtrack.

 

 

“Kihyun? He’s not here, kid.”

 **** The employee at the counter today is someone Changkyun has seen around, helping take care of the dogs medical errands, but he hadn’t talked to him face to face yet. Good reason too, because all Changkyun did was ask him if he had seen Kihyun today and the man’s been talking for a solid five minutes.

 **** The blonde leans forward, eyes shining while his lip pucker around the lollipop in his mouth, residue clinging to his shining lips in the ceiling lights. “Are you the mysterious kid Kihyun keeps talking about that’s finally getting him back on the market? I have to say, you’re shorter than I expected. Tiny gets as tiny wants, I guess. But no, sorry to burst your bubble but Ki’s not here. He’s in quarantine with the flu. Come back next week.” He gave an uneven blink, this time, curiosity reflects in his pupils. “ _Or.”_

 **** Changkyun shuffles in place, confused. “ _Or?_ ”

 **** Hands clap together in a loud smack, scaring the dogs in the vicinity. Hoseok sneered at him, shushing one of the smaller dogs in his lap. “You can go surprise him! Nurse him back to health and live your domestic fantasy. He would never admit it himself, but all that sappy shit he does for everyone else, he’d love for someone to do that for him.”

 **** Changkyun considers it, from the moment he leaves the cafe, bidding goodbye to the eccentric employee named Minhyuk, to the trip to the mart, and as he now stands in front of Kihyun’s door. He’s been here a few times, for the occasional dinner or movie night, but to soon be in such an intimate and vulnerable space with someone who's equally as vulnerable, sends chills up his spine. Their relationship had been going great the past month, Kihyun never shooting down nor welcoming his advances, but now was different. Knowing from experience, being sick make you ten times a irritated and fed up than normal. Pushing those worries to the back recess of his mind, he rapped at the front door.

 **** “Coming!” Kihyun sounds drained, voice breaking in certain places, and his face looks worse for wear when he opens the door. He was wearing a yellow hoodie, with a large comforter wrapped around his shoulders. He’s surprised to see Changkyun at his apartment with full bags of groceries, but he steps aside and lets him anyway.

 **** “I’m happy you’re here, i’m not questioning it, but i’m a mess Changkyun. You’re job is too important for me to get my nasty germs on you.”

 **** “Jooheon can handle the song writing for a few days while i’m here, it’s under control.”

 **** Changkyun began unpacking the bags on the kitchen counter, turning on the stove to heat up  some soup. The corner store had too many options, so he went with classic chicken ginseng. It’s what he ate when he was sick, and the two had similar tastes, so hopefully this will work. He watched the pot until the soup slowly boiled, turning the knob to keep it warm as he went through everything else he bought.

 **** The glare Kihyun was giving him could turn you to stone, eyebrow lifting on one side. He sat on the counter, idly rocking his feet back and forth. The blanket was cascading off the edge, making him look like a pile of melting softness.  “You’re inviting yourself to stay the weekend? You didn’t even ask my permission.”

 **** Classic Kihyun, fluffing up his feathers to make himself look bigger, more in charge; Changkyun knew he was bluffing to hell. He lifted his hand in front of Kihyun’s face, causing the brunet to give him a wobbly gaze, rightly confused.

 **** “If you can tell how many fingers i’m holding up, and breathe on my skin without burning it with you’re sick breath i’ll go home and leave you alone. Scout’s honor.”

 **** “Changkyun, you never joined the boy scouts.”

 **** “Are we doing this or not?”

 **** Kihyun sighed, lifting his head up. His face was flushed a crushed rosey red, the edges of his eyes tearing up. His hair was spiking up on one side, the corresponding pile of blankets and crumpled tissues saying that was where he spent a good portion of his day. He had to have a fever of a hundred degrees or more, Changkyun could register the faint heat coming from his body even from his spot. Kihyun’s eyes closed, lips pursing out, the barest of touch to Changkyun’s palm, and a hot gush of air pillowed across the area. He was definitely sick.

 **** Changkyun tutted his tongue, picking Kihyun up over his shoulder, going back into the living room. The older yelped in protest, flailing his legs. “Changkyun! Put me down, i’m fine!”

 **** Kihyun plopped onto his sofa, Changkyun still holding him around the waist. The hair tickled his cheek, the air hitting his neck in paced release. They did lean on each other once and awhile, during a movie or accidentally falling asleep, but this level of intimacy was new. New, but not completely unwelcome. The heavy weight did feel nice.

 **** Kihyun’s fingers carded through the others locks, scratching at the scalp. “If you get sick, i’m blaming you, it better not be the other way around. You chose this.”

 **** Kihyun’s chest rumbled under Changkyun’s ear, a sound that he wishes he could capture in a song. If Kihyun has his own soundtrack, it would be thunder piercing the rain. The cold air on your face on a sunny day in winter. The split second singing burn when you pickup a cup of fresh hot tea. Unexpected surprise in the serenity of life, that’s what Kihyun sound like. Changkyun’s tune would probably be a ten minute replay of people tripping on their own feet. Not as elegant.

 **** “I knew the whole time, by the way.”

 **** Changkyun craned his neck to look up at him, Kihyun’s hands holding Changkyun tighter. The sunlight filling in from the window behind him illuminated his eyes like amber. “Knew what?”

 **** “That you have a huge man crush on me? You’re not subtle at all. No one comes to help clean up dog feces and has the time of their life doing it.”

 **** If he opened his mouth, Changkyun was for sure he would sputter like a skipping record so he did what any logical human being would. He pushed his face into Kihyun’s chest, crawling under the blanket; Like the man he was.

 **** “I’m sorry, no one is available to answer your call. Please leave your message after the beep.”

 **** “Excuse me, you can’t get out of this with your weird off brand humor.”

 **** “For your information, you laughed at that impression two weeks ago at lunch. We almost had to call the ambulance because you nearly choked on your noodles.”

 **** “And who held my hand through the whole thing, acting like I was in actual mortal danger?”

 **** Kihyun lifted the blanket up to reveal Changkyun’s head, face still crushed into the older’s chest. It was almost comical, that someone who put up a cool front whenever they were around, was riddled speechless by simply opening up to their feelings. To give him credit, Kihyun wasn’t good at this either; maybe the fever was the confidence boost he needed.

 **** “And?” The voice was meek, quiet.

 **** Kihyun coughed into his shoulder, sniffling. “And what?”

 **** The gaze Changkyun gave him, bringing his head to look him in the eye was like an open book. “Did I just screw our friendship up by being a complete idiot, or do you want to give me a second chance?”

 **** “I don’t know Changkyun, you’re an idiot first, daredevil second. I need to think about this.”

 **** Before his foggy brain could react, Changkyun was getting off him, face crumpled in embarrassment. Kihyun tugged his hand, and his body followed, landing on Kihyun again with a deep thump. Kihyun didn’t mind this, the closeness or domesticity they usually shared together. Having his personal bubble invaded or people who didn’t think things through were at the top of his list of things he got upset about, but as put together as they both pretended to be, they all just wanted someone to be with. To spend time with, even if they didn’t know how the chapter continued. The signs had a way of telling you, that maybe, chances are meant to be taken. The road meant to be unknown. It never hurt to try.

 **** “Alright, alright i’m sorry. Of course i’ll give you a second chance. You didn’t even let me try on the first one, but in my good graces, i’ll grant you another shot.”

 **** “You’re having way too much fun with this, aren’t you?” Changkyun said, pinching Kihyun’s cheeks. Kihyun let his face be pulled like dough, the sight causing Changkyun to collapse in a fit of giggles.

 **** “Should I be offended? You came here to take care of me and now you’re laughing at me.” Kihyun’s nose scrunched at the sentiment, Changkyun waving his hand.

 **** “No- no, you just- looked so stupid!”

 **** “I can’t believe i’m loving this.”

 **** Chagkyun only laughed harder, pinching Kihyun’s sides, making the older wriggle in his seat. Kihyun’s laugh was light, airy and bubbly; Changkyun liked it akin to a songbird. The start of a new beginning.

 **** “Can I ask you something?”, Kihyun offered, Changkyun confused, but agreeing anyway, “Why do you like me? Not to be insecure, but i’m honestly curious. Most people say i’m nothing but hot air.”

 **** Kihyun was confident, ordering friends and dogs alike around because looking at it from an outside perspective, he knew what he was doing. He had to pick these next words carefully, because each word held equal importance. Changkyun flipped their position so that his back was to the couch, and Kihyun was on his chest. He smoothed down the latter’s sick back as he heaved a rumbling cough.

 **** “I can't say exactly when I knew, but you have this charisma. It’s different from what Hoseok has or Jooheon have. They have this powerful energy that interests me, but you’re something else. You’re confidence is something I feel like I can’t grasp, something I look at with awe; like a statue in a museum. Yeah, sure, you nag and like to be in charge, but that’s only because you want people to know you can handle yourself, that you want to prove who you are. I wish people looked at you the way I do, saw the kind person that I see, because you are so much more than what they say.”

 **** Kihyun was silent throughout the whole speech, fingers curling in Changkyun’s sweater. It’s one thing to have those thoughts, but saying them out loud felt like cementing it in stone. Feelings were a battle for everyone.

 **** It almost seemed like-

 **** “Oh my god, you're blushing. No one’s ever been that cheesy to you and you’re blushing. Hold on, I need to film this.” Changkyun realized, snagging his phone from the tight pocket of his jeans. He tried to tilt Kihyun’s chin up, begging to get this on record. Kihyun blushing was as unbelievable a tale as bigfoot or mythic beasts.

 **** The older’s face was positively blemished when his face was brought to match Changkyun’s, eyes clenched shut. The younger understood what an old time poet would say when they spoke about their muse, their vision, a sight that just bloomed a tale heard worldwide. An object in your life that births a soliloquy, a narrative of what you hold dear. He had so much to say, so much to express, but instead, he whispered, “Thank you.”

 **** “What?”

 **** Those brown orbs revealed themselves again, the younger’s heart swooping at the visual. He's never going to get over that.

 **** “Experiencing life with you is a feeling I don’t think i’ll get used to, but it’s the best ride i’ve been on yet; so thank you.”

 **** Kihyun breathed through his teeth, wrapping his arms around Changkyun’s broad neck. “I don’t think I deserve _that much_ praise, Changkyun. I’m a part time photographer and part time dog sitter, it’s nothing spectacular.”

 **** “But-”

 **** Kihyun leaned in close, eyes thinning with mischief, lips a breath from the one in front of his. “ _But_ ,” A short peck, lips barely touching, “I appreciate it. Thank you.”

 **** A hot hand snaked its way under Changkyun’s top, kneading at the muscle, immediately lowering his resolve. He was starting to sweat at his brow, earning a gravely chuckle. The man was _sin._

 **** Changkyun captured the other’s lips, sickness be damned. He can write lyrics hopped up on medicine. Jooheon can coddle him and make the beats while he suffers on the recording room couch. This was so much more worth it.

 **** “Burning..” Kihyun hummed, coming up for air. The younger swept him up a second time, grabbing a handful of locks.

 **** “Me too.”

 **** “No- Changkyun,” They broke apart with a low pop, “The soup is burning.”

 **** “Shit-”

 **** A loud bellow of laughter followed Changkyun as he burst up and into the kitchen, turning off the stove. A good chunk of the soup was a dark color, the pot probably ruined. He hoped deep in his heart Kihyun didn't take this as a red flag. The man loved his cooking supplies.

 **** “So… take out?”

 **** They both shared a look of sympathy, Kihyun still on the edges of hysterics. “Whatever you want, kid, whatever you want.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Still on indefinite hiatus, but this was a cute idea so I forced it out. Enjoy.


End file.
